I had a Zune HD 32 GB. My normal audio setting was 4, and occasionally as low as 3, and I got acceptable volume from my MP3s/WMAs.I display on the player failed, and I used an extended warranty to purchase an HD 64 GB from Amazon.
Now I need to set to volume to a minimum of 7 or 8 to get the same sound as I got with 3 or 4 from my 32 GB.
In both cases, the Equalizer is turned off - using any Equalizer settings make the sound even a bit dimmer, if anything.
I am using the same Sennheiser earphones with the new unit as I used with the old one.
Any suggestions and ideas? I have the latest Zune update installed, but the problem was there even before that.

Might be an obvious question that you assumed we'd know the answer is "yes," but have you been using the same or different audio files? Audio files can have different native volumes, and you need to be sure that if you're doing comparison, your audio files have the same volume. Mp3gain is a good software for analyzing and normalizing this on mp3/AAC files, so check that out if you want. Some software like foobar2000 have replay gain features, which is very similar to mp3gain, but that the changes made with that replay gain can't be synced to your Zune (I'll spare you the reason for the sake of simplicity). I can't think of any other reason why it'd be different short of a defective player. I've had two HDs, and both have been the same, to me.

Actually, I just had an epiphany. Don't underestimate placebo. Human hearing is very easily convinced that something is different or better when it may not be. So, it could be all in your head. OR, your hearing may have changed.

Geez! A volume of 3 or 4? Man I have my Zune 32GB at 30 and I use Sennheiser CX-300II headphones! I love having my music load enough to block out the outside world, plus even at that volume there is no distortion at all. Although I do normalise all my music down, using a great little program (I mean tiny compared to Mp3gain) called MpTrim. It will also trim off the silent areas at the beginning or end of a file, so that when you move from one song to the next they start instantly. I have it set up in the batch drag 'n' drop function. So whenever I get new music I just drag them into the program and it is all done automatically for me in one go.

Man a volume of 3 or 4, that just blows me away. I can hardly hear my music at that volume. Although I used to be a DJ so I mainly listen to dance and trance music, and my ears may be shot from my old job. Plus you may record you music way higher than what I dumb them down to using MpTrim. But still wow!

I don't hear any. Mp3gain doesn't say that the tracks are clipped, either. Some of them had clipping when I used 95dB, but only one says yes now, and it's a podcast. So I don't particularly care if it's clipped or not.

You said you get a warning? Does it pop up when you do the gain? Or are you talking about the clipping column saying Y?

Uhhhh no... If I get a track to say Y, I adjust the gain down for just that track, but that doesn't really ever happen... It does just vary track to track, so I guess your stuff is just more sensitive to the raise in volume than mine.

Uhhhh no... If I get a track to say Y, I adjust the gain down for just that track, but that doesn't really ever happen... It does just vary track to track, so I guess your stuff is just more sensitive to the raise in volume than mine.

I'll leave it all as is then. The whole point of me using it was so that if I wanted to shuffle all on the Zune, I wouldn't have to adjust the volume, and at the 89db setting, I have enough volume with my various headphones.

I use about 5 now with my Fischer Audio Eternas, though when I'm mowing my lawn I crank it up to 10 I have all my stuff normalized at 92 dB.

Yeah I have MpTrim set all my MP3s to 90dB, but I listen at full volume (30) most times. Although if I am listening, say, in my room late at night, I'll put it down to 20. But that is the bare minimum.

Yeah I have MpTrim set all my MP3s to 90dB, but I listen at full volume (30) most times. Although if I am listening, say, in my room late at night, I'll put it down to 20. But that is the bare minimum.

You'll be deaf before you get old, at that rate, if you're using IEM's.

All my songs on my Z:HD64 are MP3Gained to 89db, and with any of my headphones, in a quiet room, I wouldn't go over 20 for long, and 30 is painfully loud.

One thought...are you using any of the EQ presets? They drop the volume down a little bit.

That is outrageously loud for me. I was just mowing and didn't want to set the volume above 15 because it started to be painful... Well, in my left ear. I'm beginning to think my right ear is slightly deformed.

While this is probably not relevant to Blegs case, my 32GB with my 3 year old Ultimate Ears IEMs tend to run with anywhere between 15-27 on the volume scale. However, when I change to some shitty ipod ones, those same levels are obviously unbearable. I guess resistance is the main culprit?

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Just chillin' down under... no need to worry.

One thought...are you using any of the EQ presets? They drop the volume down a little bit.

Yes I am. I have it set on "acoustic", as it sounds best with the music I play.

The Sennheiser CX 300-II IEMs that I use are rated at 16 ohms.

I've had some shitty buds before this, and I can understand the word painful coming to mind when turning up the volume. But the CX 300-IIs were an eye opener when I got them, especially with how they reproduced my music with the Zune HD. Crystal clear sound all the way to the top level and not ear piercing at all.